Archpriest
Eric George Tosi
I grew up in the New York City area. We would often take our little
trips into “The City” to visit museums, sporting events, etc. As we
drove through Midtown, I always noticed that the street corners had
people on boxes with signs around their necks announcing to the world
their belief in Jesus Christ (and usually accompanied by a warning of
repentance and the end of the world.) Was this evangelizing?
I
now live in another interesting city . . . Las Vegas. Different yet the
same if you walk down “The Strip.” In addition, many people don’t know
this but Las Vegas is a strong Mormon city with strong Mormon roots.
This means that we get the missionaries at our door. They usually flee
after I let them know I am an Orthodox priest and would like to talk to
them about Christ. I have even seen them (unbeknownst to them) gathering
under the bell tower of our church and praying, I can only assume, for
the conversion of myself and my parish. Hmm . . . was this evangelizing?
Clearly
the answer to both of these examples is a loud and resounding NO! This
is not evangelizing but rather self-promotion and proselytism. There is a
great difference. Evangelism pure and simple is to “preach the good
news of the Gospel.” We are called to live out this good news in our
daily lives. And by this way of life, we become witnesses to the truth
and power of Jesus Christ. We do not and should not be standing on a
street corner nor should we be knocking on doors. What we should be
doing is living a life of prayer, fasting and repentance. These are the
most powerful witnesses to Christ and His Church.
Living the Life
In
today’s world, we are constantly being bombarded by a host of secular
and religious pressures. They seek our souls and the souls of our
children. But this is nothing new. The faithful of the Church have
ALWAYS been bombarded by these. Just peruse the Epistles and the Church
Fathers and it will become clear that we face the same problems as any
Christian did throughout the ages. (The only difference is that the
medium has changed . . . , i.e., the internet and mass communication)
Yet despite all of these challenges (and some of them are quite great)
the Church has always been able to grow and evangelize all nations as a
witness to the Great Commission in Matthew. “Go therefore and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things
that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end
of the age.” Amen. (Matthew 28:19-20)
So what did they do and
how did they do it? Very simply, they lived the life of an Orthodox
Christian. Let us take the example of the great missionary saint, St.
Herman of Alaska. Read his life and see how he affected the lives of
those around him. He did not proselytize but rather lived the life he
was called to live. He didn’t stand on a stump and announce that he is
an Orthodox Christian and everyone ought to be the same . . . or else.
He prayed, he helped, he loved, he became a part of the community in
which God had placed him. And through this witness of what a Christian
is and how a Christian should act, he brought generations of people to
the Faith. There was no great secret but rather hard work and difficult
times as he (literally) carried the Cross to the people and brought the
Good News of Jesus Christ. And this can be repeated in the many examples
of all of our great missionary saints. From the Apostle Paul to the
latest holy men and women who work throughout the world, they all lived
the life of an Orthodox Christian.
So to begin with, our actions
must speak louder than words. Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann wrote
on missions that, “one is first sent to oneself, then to the family and
then to the world.” In other words we are no good if we are not seeking
our own salvation first. And that is a lifetime of work right there. We
must live the life of an Orthodox Christian. Do we pray? Do we attend
the services? Do we fast? Do we go to the sacraments? Do we give of our
time, talent and treasure? Do we live a life of repentance? Do we raise
our families in the Church? When in public do we bless ourselves with
the Sign of the Cross? Do we have an icon in our offices and homes? Do
we read the Gospels daily? Do we read the lives and writings of the
Church Fathers? Do we educate ourselves in the Church? In short, do we
live as an Orthodox Christian?
If we do that, then we find that
we are walking on a path that we are called to be on and that path has
been well trod by the great evangelists before us. We might want to get
into great polemical arguments with the non-Orthodox on an internet chat
room, but are we ready for that? I have been a priest for some years
and still do not feel I am ready, despite giving talks and sermons
around the country and in my own community. And in the end the only
witness that is truly powerful is that I live as best as I can as an
Orthodox Christian (and often fall far short). I remember one bishop’s
statement that the most powerful sermon we can give is to do the sign of
the Cross . . . this sums it all up!
But What Else?
But
the point of this paper goes a little beyond this since people want to
have some practical advice (though I believe that what is put forth in
the last section is eminently practical). What can I do to reach out?
How can I let people know about my valued Orthodox Faith?
Well to
begin with start with the home. The home is our refuge but also the
place of gathering. People come and in and out. Do we have icons
throughout the home? Every room should have an icon on the east wall.
These are our witnesses and will bring more conversation from someone
who is non-Orthodox than we can ever imagine. Do we wear our baptismal
cross around our neck? My wife is an operating room nurse and more
conversations (and connections with Orthodox) have happened from that
simple witness. When we are in public, do we prayer quietly and humbly
before meals? Not as a show that we are Christians but because we prayer
before we eat. Do we do the same in our workplace? Because this is
where we spend much of our time yet it is the place where we feel
ashamed to express our Faith.
But we are also in constant contact
with people around us. We must have the courage and conviction to stand
for our Faith. Very often, if the conversation turns to religion a lull
would descend. We do not want to offend nor do we want to seem like
some religious fanatic. But we can speak of our Faith without being
either. We need simply say that “I am an Orthodox Christian and this is
what we believe . . . ” Be willing to express the basic tenets of Faith
through a thorough understanding of what we believe. And that means The
Creed. So the question we should ask ourselves is “, do I understand what
The Creed says and means?” We would be surprised that so many of us
recite The Creed every Sunday yet really don’t understand what is being
said. We need to understand the words of the Church because it is
through those words that the Church expresses itself. Many of us learned
The Creed in Church School or through catechism and then . . . stopped
seeking to understand it. The Church formulated The Creed so that it
could express what, as a minimum, a Christian must believe in order to
be a Christian. There are some wonderful books which can help us in
educating ourselves on The Creed. For example, Fr. Alexander
Schmemann’s, Celebration fo Faith series (Book 1 is I Believe). It has a
wonderful set of writings on just this subject. Likewise, Fr. Thomas
Hopko’s “Rainbow” series also has a section on this subject. There are,
of course, a host of selections from our Seminaries’ Press, Conciliar
Press and Regina Press which also deal with just this subject. We don’t
need complicated explanations but rather a simple exposition of the
Faith.
One of the elements of the Faith that I have come to
understand as a priest and dealing with a wide variety of people is that
our own people don’t know their own Faith. And furthermore there are
many, many people out there who do not even know who or what God the
Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit is as well as what the
Church mean. Basic articles of Faith such as the Trinity, Baptism, etc.
are expressed in The Creed and we need to be able to articulate these
beliefs. Perhaps years ago, many Christians still held certain basic
beliefs but this is no longer the case and we need to get back to the
heart of what a Christian is and what we believe. So be willing to speak
about this . . . not just saying “I am a Christian” but rather, “I am a
Christian and this is what I believe.” We would be surprised at this
simple witness. A simple suggestion is to read. Borrow books from the
parish library, talk to your priest and get his suggestion on good
books. Have an adult class or small group session where together with
others you can read. The great gift that the modern Orthodox Church in
America has is that we have so much material available to us in English
so take advantage of this.
Come and See
One
of the truisms that I have discovered is that families bring in
families. People are looking for a place to raise their children. They
want a place where their children can learn about Jesus Christ and the
Good News. They want a place where they can find eternal truths and true
worship. This is especially evident in a mobile society where families
no longer grow up where they were born and job changes move people all
over the country and away from the roots. We used to rely on the
extended family to help raise our children in the Church since a grandma
or aunts or whoever would be going to Church and could bring their
extended family with them. This creates a void in which families are
trying to find a new “extended” family.
So often we come in daily
contact through school, community activities, neighborhood events with a
host of people looking for a church home. Yet we never invite them to
our own church home. Their children play with our children and yet we
don’t even ask if they would like to come to church. It used to be very
common for that to happen. We need to do this in a respectful and kind
way. Invite the families when they, through the course of conversation,
say they are looking for a church home. Help them to understand the
Church and the Faith. Live your own life as a Christian and they also
will want to have a part of that in their life.
Of course, our
own parish must be open to them. We must be in order so that we can
receive visitors. We must be patient and understand that they do not
know the tenants of our Faith. But we must open the doors for them, make
them feel welcome and take an interest in them. Not jumping all over a
visiting family but rather be kind and gentle. Families are looking for
this and when they find it, they want to know more. They want their own
children to be raised in that way. And they will learn and grow in the
Faith. So be open to visitors and invite families. Our own extended
relationships are the most fertile ground for evangelization. And when
they come, explain the services and make them feel welcome.
One
final note is that we need to be a part of our surrounding community. Be
an active participant in the life of the community. Encourage events to
be held at our parish and facilities that benefit those who live around
it. Be in the organizations which promote our values and life. Very
often, people come tho these events or come into contact with Orthodox
at these events. They see and want to know more. We no longer become
that church over there, but rather the church that is here. So the more
we are involved, the more contact people have with us.
Be The Church
The life of
a parish is often filled with major events. Baptisms, wedding, funerals
are all part of the life of a normal parish. And these are often
incredible times to reach out to people. Our services are so filled with
meanings and ritual that are totally unlike anything else. People are
constantly amazed at the depth and beauty of something we take for
granted. They are powerful witnesses for the Faith and one in which we
should not take lightly. They are sometimes the best evangelism tools we
have. People will come and ask questions. They want to know why we do
this or very often the simple statement, “I have never seen anything
like this.” They have opened the door for a conversation about the
Faith. Learn the meaning of the services, especially the Sacraments, so
that you can explain what they just saw. It is simple but effective
because they see the Church in action, at our very best.
Non-Orthodox
are simply amazed by what we do. Sometimes they may consider it quaint
but very often they are seeing something that has been lost in the West.
Baptisms became perfunctory family gathering, weddings became
contracts, funerals became memorials. All of them lost the sacramental
meaning and hence the beauty of what they are meant to do. And when we
do it in its fullness, the meaning is brought back to people who have
never understood or forgotten them. The services, the priest’s sermon,
the ritual, and the gathering all form part of a witness to what the
Church is and should always be.
The other aspect to this and one
that should not be forgotten ever is that these events bring back the
lapsed Orthodox. They have a chance to come back to Church in a
nonthreatening way. And there is something about being an Orthodox that
never leaves you. When they see and experience the Church again, it is
as if they are looking at it for the first time. It touches a place in
their soul and reignites a passion for the Faith that may have been
lost. And we must be open to them and embrace them as a prodigal. Not to
judge them as to where they have been but rather rejoice. Sometimes
they come to a Church where the services are in English and for the
first time they actually understand what is being said. Meaning is put
to words and they then realize the depth and beauty of those words. And
as always, our services are the greatest witnesses to what we believe.
FinallySo how do we
Orthodox evangelize? Really on three levels. First and foremost we
evangelize ourselves. We learn and live the Faith. We raise our families
in the Church and make it central to our life. We become witnesses to
the Church by living the life of the Church.Second we reach out
to the community. We speak of our Faith with love and attention. We
express it without shame. We invite those around us to share in that
Faith. And we keep our doors open to the community and all seekers.And
finally, we evangelize our Faith through the life of the Church. We use
the wonderful gift of God’s Church and the services to lead others to
experience worship . . . real worship. And our own knowledge is
invaluable and helping people process that. We invite and welcome people
through our own doors.There is a wonderful story from Russia
which tells of an old and young monk. The older monk told the young monk
that they were going down into the village to evangelize. They went
down, shopped, talked to the people and showed their presence. As they
were walking back the young monk asked when they were going to
evangelize. The elder monk simply replied, “we just did!” So may we also
follow their path.
